Truth in the Black
by Aureux
Summary: (A "True Bloodstained Black Rabbit" re-boot) This tells the events after Oz finds out that he is the true B. Rabbit. It seems that the memories and realization leave him spinning in the labyrinth of his mind. Swirling in the darkness, he finds himself trying to keep his reach on his sense of self. Meanwhile outside events keep moving, the world not stopping for him. Will he cope?
1. Prologue

It has been three years since I originally wrote "True Bloodstained Black Rabbit". It was one of my most viewed and popular stories during it is prime as well as the longest one I ever wrote and one of the first I had ever truly finished. Upon going back and looking into it I found myself cringing at some of the writing. Since then I have grown and gotten better, enhancing my skills. I can't outright say what made me decide. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that now I am in my graduating year of school. The point is that I have decided to re-write that story.

The plot will still likely hold some similarities, but there will also likely be differences born of my growth as a person and an author. I know a bit more about the world and about people. Either way, for fans of my original story, I hope you can find it in yourself to enjoy this new reboot.

Well without further ado, enjoy the re-write!

-With Luffles, Aureux

* * *

I. Prologue

" _Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering."_

But life isn't one of fairy tales. While the boy sought to answer the warmth behind her smile when his own was so dull, he came to learn things that were better left bound and thrown into the endless Abyss. For by finding out why he felt so safe there, he guaranteed he would never feel safe again.

" _Once upon a time there was a girl born into a far away land. Whether she was a child of love or a child of deceit was lost in the wake of time. All that anyone can say was that she always seemed to be alone. But if asked if she was lonely, she would simply giggle as if it was some sort of inside joke. With a smile like the sun she'd say, 'Who said I'm alone? My best friend is right here,' and then with a cryptic bow she was run back off into the fields to play. Some say they never saw again after that day,"_

War clamped onto the fragile tattered pieces of the young boy's mind. In their grip, doubt and unease festered. He continued to try to smile and push past it as his smile became more and more warped. Until finally he collapsed like a puppet whose strings were rended free from their sockets leaving them to fall in an gangly spread of limbs.

" _Once upon a time there was a boy who met a girl. They fell in love. The rest beyond that is ancient history,"_

"What's going on!? Where am I!?" He cried out in his mind, his soul shaken to the core with anguish. Even if such a thing wasn't already awake it would have been stirred to by the shriek. But rather this thing, this dark lonely shadow merely responded with a calm measured tone.

" **You are trapped in your own mind. In your own memories. In your darkness,"**

Again he cried, his tone a tad bit indignant. "This can't be real can it!?"

" **It is,"** the darkness replied with that calm silky voice.

Something about it seemed so inviting. Its tone was without malice. If anything it sung of acceptance. Of peace. The folds of darkness, while wispy were almost soft like a blanket of night to wrap him up and lull him to sleep. It was comforting, unjudging. Like the song of a siren that promise everything as it slowly leads you to your final dream.

"Everything is so dark… Is this really my truth?" The boy couldn't help but ask, fighting the waves of rest that threatened to drag him under. But even so, his question was little more than a whisper in that shapeless limitless room.

" **It is,"** Once more the voice spoke in affirmation.

"How can you be sure?"

" **You question me despite already knowing the answer. Despite already knowing it is true,"**

With those words the boy paused, the weariness evaporating for a single heartbeat before coming back with twice the force.

"I can't help, but question it. Even though little by little the fog is clearing, I can't help but be apprehensive. Will the answers be what I want them to be? Will they help everything finally make sense? Or will they only bring more questions I can't bare to find the answers to?"

The boy was answered with a silence so profound it was suffocating. Then all at once a deep sigh echoed all around him, as if the unseen walls were all releasing a held breath. Then finally, rattling along with the gust as if expelled with the air was a single phrase.

" **The truth is rarely what you wish it to be,"**

And then he felt himself drown.

" _Once upon a time, there was a boy. He lived in a village that no longer exists, in a house that no longer exists, on the edge of a field that no longer exists, where everything was discovered, and everything was possible. A stick could be a sword, a pebble could be a diamond, a tree, a castle. Once upon a time, there was a boy who lived in a house across the field, from a girl who no longer exists. They made up a thousand games. She was queen and he was king. In the autumn light her hair shone like a crown. They collected the world in small handfuls, and when the sky grew dark, and they parted with leaves in their hair._

 _Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering."_

"Every arrow is pointing in the direction of reality…

 **Every memory is echoing the words that I hold…**

My chest… It hurts…

 **As though it is telling me that what he said is true…**

I am so confused…

 **So scared…**

I fear that if I accept it I will no longer be me. If I agree to this past being my own that maybe it may change me.

 **I.. I don't want to go,"**

Two voices blended, two sentiments that intermingled for different reasons. These words sang through the boy's entire being as the two sides crashed together, everything hidden behind that dark door rushing free.

" _Once upon a time there was a very special boy in a very far away land. He spent his whole life searching for his other half, following the unique purpose that his special birth placed across his shoulders. He slain monsters, saved lives, fell in love…_

 _And at the end, he died,"_

And from the ashes of this fairy tale boy… a new story was born.

 **I am… Oz… Oz B. Rabbit…**


	2. It All Started With A Dream

REVIEW REPLY/

 **Kiscia:** Umm thanks I guess... ^.^ Anyway here is more! I also plan on working on newer stories and maybe even a little special brand new one for you D Gray-Man fans out there.

 **MasterExpose:** Yeah. If you want to read the complete version, you can read the original story. Don't worry, it won't ruin this one since this one is an improvement to that one and may even come to hit upon a few more points and have some events that differ from the original. Especially since when I compare the two that one seems sorta rushed. ^.^

 **Nami:** I expected it a bit before hand because I read the one-shot that preceded the original stories. ^.^

* * *

 **II. It All Started With A Dream**

His eyes flickered behind closed lids as he felt as if he was falling despite the soft yet firm weight braced against his back. Pain zipped along his frame, hairs standing on end as if brought to attention by the brush of a phantom limb or the bittersweet zing of electricity.

Suddenly his entire frame twitched in one violent jerk as movement came to him in a sudden overwhelming rush. A burst of pain and warm metallic blood gushed into his mouth as the blond became aware of his teeth digging into the tender flesh of his tongue.

With a gasp and strangle gag, a pair of emerald eyes shot open, his heart pumping wildly in his chest. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as he struggled to put together the tattered pieces and segments of memory and thoughts free floating in his head into a coherent set of thoughts.

Sadly as he tried to grasp the pieces they refused to yield beneath his hands. Each time he would reach they would simply slip through his fingers as if he was trying to clutch at the clouds. The continued undercurrent of panic did nothing to stabilize his state of mine. So taking a breath, the boy cast out his senses in an attempt to calm the racing fragments.

He was warm, his legs naked save for a pair of silken shorts. The bed under him was covered in a rough coarse fabric disguised only by the fine linen sheets. More of those said sheets were pooled around his waist having been shoved down in his haste to sit up.

And his mind, his mind was an empty pool whose surface rippled to distort a single image. That image, a piece of a memory, continued to repeat itself over and over from a single second of an entire story. The story itself floated free in its own individual chunks, tiny puzzle pieces that once put together would make an organized yet chaotic whole.

It the center of it all was that single event on repeat. His first meeting of the man named Jack.

 _Jack was a man of emerald eyes and long braided hair. He could smile, charm, flirt, and be whoever he needed to be on whatever occasion called for such. There was only a single person who could see the men beneath his million masks, even after he had long forgotten how. She had become his light in the dark. Her name, spoken like a ribbon waving freely in the wind, was Lacie._

 _And her final words to that man, the man whom loved her so much he found himself also hating her, was the greatest lie of her life. "The ceremony is in a week. Goodbye Jack,"_

 _But when he came next, she was already gone, sacrificed to the Abyss. In his grief he came up with a rather invested scheme. Through Alice, who appeared hardly long after Lacie had gone away, and her unique connection to the Will of the Abyss he made his move._

 _During Gilbert's ceremony to start his inheritance of the soul of Glen, Jack had snuck down to the Baskerville's Gate into the Abyss, using Vincent to open the door so he may claim the chain promised to him. A chain that was said to be beyond all others, the one whose body on earth was lost to gift him the final piece of Lacie left free from the dark. To his surprise instead of the great large rabbit Alyss described with joy, a young man with shaggy black hair and ruby colored eyes had walked free from the gate with a grand scythe slung over his shoulders. But perhaps the most disconcerting thing about such a child was his uncanny resemblance to Oswald, as if being the man's younger reflection._

 _Two pools of crimson gleaming in narrow shape of those almond eyes bore straight into Jack's own emerald orbs, freezing him in place with the intensity and wave of familiarity, as if being stared down by the Glen himself. Swallowing thickly, Jack struggled to push off the discomfort by going for an attempt at humor._

 _"I thought you were supposed to be a large scythe wielding black rabbit." Jack said with amused dripping free from his tone as another of his various masks into place. In return, the boy merely raised a single sculpted eyebrow._

 _"And I thought you would be less of a fraud," he huffed back lightly, "But I suppose losing your precious person has left you nothing else to lean upon,"_

 _The truth of those words, said in such an uncaring tone sent a shiver down the blonde man's spine. The boy cocked his head in a questioning manner but upon no move to reply, he continued to speak._

" _Anyway, the reason I am in the form I am in now is to keep from exhausting your body too quickly. My power is too immense for a normal person like you to survive long exposure to. So rather than burden you, half of my power is sealed in here." The boy's expression did little to shift from the neutrality before as he drew something free from his long trench coat and threw it to Jack. It was a pocketwatch. Jack's very own pocket watch to be exact._

 _"Where did you get that?"_

 _"Alice borrowed it. She felt it would be the perfect medium since you are very familiar with it."_

 _"Is that so? Well either way it appears you will have to remain outside my body correct." Jack's response was distant; his gaze focused on the pocket watch which sat balanced in the palm of his hand. A finger twitched and the lid popped free allowing a familiar tone to ring free. A tone that caused the man's eyes to narrow and darken. The boy paid little mind to it._

" _Yes. Also my name will prove more helpful than calling out B. Rabbit. After all, names are powerful things,"_

 _With those words and a snap almost of finality, Jack closed the golden device before spinning around to face the boy once more._

" _And your name is?"_

" _Oz," The single word practically rang with the power it was said with, a power that was almost off-putting given the young voice it came from._

 _"Well, Oz, I have a bit of an idea that could work. You can pose as my footman if you like. How does that sound? But first we will have to do something about those eyes. We would not want Glen mistaking you for a child of misfortune." Jack's eyes appeared to light up in excitement, a total change from the previous unease that he displayed so blatantly. But that excitement, while comparable to that of a hyped up hound, had a crazed edge to it. In that voice rang a sort of dark glee._

 _Oz could see, with those red eyes of his that sat unclouded by emotion, what only Lacie was know to. Beyond the masks sat a very sad man who turned his sorrow to insanity. A man of contradiction who could so easily hate that which he loved and kill that which he valued. A very dangerous man indeed._

 _And as he gazed at the man a sort of doubt and blackened dread twisted his insides. Just how much resolve would the man have when it came down to the task at hand? And would the task prove far worse than spoken to be? In the end, he would simply have to wait and see._

Oz tilted his head back, a hollow sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob passing his lips as he thought back to how he had once been. So little had his concern been with the lives of humans. They could all simply burn up and die for what little care he held in his heart for them. Well all but one. A single girl that made him feel in such ways he never had before. A girl who gave him an inkling of what it meant to be human.

 _The days to come from those moments leading up to the event, Oz had played quite the part. His part was that of a young footman Jack took it upon himself to train. The hope of the boy, once Jack had finished was that he could go off and work for higher nobility despite. After all, there was little else the boy could really do given his apparent blindness._

 _Of course the blindness was just a ruse, at least in part, for Oz to hide away his unnatural crimson eyes. But the band to hide away those eyes did truly deprive the chain playing human of his sight. At first it was simply touch and go, the great and powerful displaying a sort of clumsiness that would send Jack hunched over, the ringing peals of laughter too loud and heard by almost anyone nearby. Luckily Oz was quick to get the hang of it and even began to function close to that of a normal person. Well save for his occasional accidents. He fulfilled his purpose though and did so splendidly. So much so that he soon found himself greatly liked by most of the families Jack visited. Even the Baskervilles themselves soon fell to his charms._

 _He was their kind of person after all, one whom wasn't too curious for his own good. From day one, Oz established himself as being seen more than he was heard and with a personal rule not to pry into the going ons of those around him. In the words of some of the more rude clients Jack worked with, Oz was a servant who knew his place. And maybe that was true for him, as he did little to focus on things involving others that didn't involve what he was suppose to be doing. But perhaps if they knew the true reason of his mindset and his nature at being an inhuman creature illegally contracted through the giving up of one's soul… well maybe then they wouldn't be so envious and desiring of such an "ideal servant"._

 _At any rate, Oz was not only considered well manner by the older Baskervilles, but was adored by Gilbert and his little brother. For those two he would drop away from his "ideal servant" facade and in return adopt one of a child himself. It wasn't that hard, give his time watching as Lacie grew. He took his knowledge of her more lighthearted antics and emulated them._

 _It was to the point that Jack often laughed at him, saying that the "big scary bunny rabbit" seemed to have a soft spot for children. Of course this was not completely true. The children were little more than means to gain trust and perhaps some touch of companionship. After all children rarely fell for the evils that adult humans sought out. Their purity earned them a free pass to see beyond his scorn and into the tiny nestle of half developed emotions that made up his core, or as a human would call it, his heart._

The thin shape of Oz slowly sunk back into the pillows, the most bittersweet of expressions on his face. In those times he was naive. He had little emotions then, only a handful to even call his own. Everything else was lacking and for that he found himself very little with minding the plan that had been developed.

Perhaps if he had know he would be here now, feeling so human it hurt, he would have reconsidered such an act. But at the same time, if he knew what had truly happened to Alice he would had done so as well. For Alice's fate was not one Oz was proud of. He never would be, even if she were to suddenly return completely as she was during that time.

 _On a few occasions, playing with those two children, Oz even got the rare pleasure of seeing, or more like sensing, Alice. Each time he would gift her with a faint smile, a true smile, only for her. But so shortly after would it leave his lips as he would run after Vincent to scold him for his less than savory actions._

Oz smiled as he remembered those more peaceful times. They may have been short-lived and fleeting, but he wouldn't trade those simple moments for anything.

 _His first time "meeting" Alice, he had greeted her as though it was truly their first. She herself didn't care much for his polite manners, saying she would rather have him talk back to her than play the part of a gentleman. Of course Glen himself wasn't pleased with her announcement and Jack quickly resolved things between the two relatives before dragging the other man away with his own odd antics._

 _Once Glen was out of earshot a large shit-eating grin spread across her lips so wide he could practically hear it as she teased him, telling him she had seen from her window him getting along with the boys. Alice was overjoyed at getting the chance to push his buttons, claiming it was no surprise a "once upon a time" stuffed animal had a soft center beneath his dark rough edges. He played along, chatting back and even whining slightly at her words. All the while the knowledge that the day he would prove just how dark he was was close at hand. But at the same time an unspeakable feeling was starting to grow. A feeling Oz cared little for._

"It was regret," the blond boy whispered to his pillow as if telling a secret to his lover. The tones were comprised in a gentle huff of air, words light syllables touching the otherwise sigh.

Only know could Oz name that storm-like emotion that hung over him, churning, in that last week. He had unknowingly grown close to all of the Baskervilles, despite his attempts to play distant. Then again, his fondness of Glen and Alice held little surprise. Glen he had watched for longer than he had even known of Jack, so much so that he even came to be named after the man. And Alice, she was the one to give him such a name. With it came a flood of unconditional love. She was his best friend who late into the night she would conspire to and, on those days she changed, play of so gently with his small form.

 _Three days later he had fought alongside Jack, almost destroyed the world with him, watched Alice kill herself to escape him, and found himself sealed along with him as well. There souls were bound, his soul removed from the cycle of reincarnation merely to sleep and awaken in a body that was a carbon copy of his own when the time would come. And because of that their contract was not officially at its end._

 _He had followed Jack's soul. When the man gained a new body Oz had followed. When the babe woke for the first time, born into the world with a cry, Jack's soul was too weak and rather than control it, took a back seat. Oz was the one to awake that day, are pure as the first snow of winter and without a single memory plaguing that youthful mind. He was left to developed his own personality and life in the body while Jack's soul and his memories were sealed in slumber._

"In some ways I am thankful, but all good things must come to an end sometime," once more the blond spoke out to himself, as if by converting those thoughts into sounds perhaps somehow he could make them more tangible. More real. Or merely it was an act to try and comfort his twisting heart.

In some ways Oz couldn't blame Jack completely or at least not for this. He knew that even if the man had kept quiet and chose not to forcibly reveal the truth he would have still remembered everything, albeit at a slower pace.

He chose then to rise in a single motion and stagger his way over to the mirror. One hand braced upon it, Oz looked into his own reflection. There sat, in perfect rendering a short boy with golden hair, soft boyish features, and shining emerald eyes that had the likeness of a younger Jack. But soon that image was overlapped with one of the past. Overtaking the previous shape, so full of life and innocence, was one of a different boy. He was taller, his hair shaggier, his features sharper, and his eyes a dull emotionless red.

In the mirror was that boy, like a ghost, whose body was highlighted with the blood of his victims. Looking at his hands, pale as porcelain without a blemish or stain on them, he could still picture the large brown hands dyed by the sun and stained with the dried blood of countless murders.

After all he wasn't the innocent boy he had pretended to be. No matter how hard he may have tried to remain the way he was before, the memories stole away all that childishness.

"I never thought I could ever become so human. It is funny. A killer like me masquerading as a foolish and soft child for so long. Part of me hoped I could stay suspended forever in the bliss of ignorance... yet.. I know now such a thing could never happen. My past is too stained with all that blood, the blood for which I was named." Oz smiled sadly, his voice broken and almost cynical in nature. He gained humanity but, like all the adults he was so weary of in the past, he himself was now tainted by the darkness. A profound darkness that overtook and ate apart the Abyss and was spilling out into the world above. Or rather, it was the other way around. This cruel beautiful world's darkness had tainted that place, the place of golden lights and the echos of music that played against the breeze.

He, Oz, a child of the true Abyss, had been tainted. And he could never show that side of him. Not if he wanted to keep whatever amount of peace. For that. the real Oz would have to stay hidden for a little while longer. Only until his contract ended finally ended, Jack taking his rightful place in the Abyss, would he have to continue this hateful play.

Still, through it all he couldn't help but think of Alice. What would she think of him? Of the truth? After all, the only goal he had ever possessed, the only goal ever truly his own was to see her smile once more. Oz wanted to unravel the secret behind such a beautiful thing and with the knowledge he gained find a way to bring it forth even more. He would fight to the ends of the Earth for such a thing.

Perhaps it was those very thoughts that transferred some of his power to Alice to revive her in the Abyss. Such power made her into the B. Rabbit, if only a cheap copy of the original. If he were to reclaim that power, would she simply disappear?

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTE/

I must admit I am kind of proud of myself. In the original story the chapter was roughly hardly 1,000 words. In my re-write it is easily double, if not triple the original amount. I will try and re-write the next chapter when I get a chance and maybe even change some things around to extend this story. For those of you who have chosen to follow this story and also follow me along for the ride of re-writing my first successful fanfiction, I thank you.

For those of you who have taken the time to review I thank you as well. And I hope above you can see that I encourage any and all reviews. After all, the more reviews the more motivation I have to do something. Unless of course I say that I am working on a story completely for my own satisfaction like Midas. Then it will be updated whenever I feel like regardless of reviews.

And remember, no matter what, I do not own Pandora Hearts. It is Jin's baby, not mine.

Anyway until next time, I salute to you!

-With Luffles, Aureux


	3. Time Keeps Moving

/REVIEW REPLY/

 **Nami:** No you don't! What would be the point of rewriting this if I didn't give you a few new things? ;)

 **Guest1:** Thanks and sorry to disappoint for taking so long. ^^"

 **Guest2:** Thanks and like I said with Guest1, sorry to disappoint for taking so long. Hopefully I will be faster next time. ^^"

 **Guest3:** As I told **MasterExpose** last chapter, this story may even come to hit upon a few more points and have some events that differ from the original. I have a few unique twists to include. It will only follow closely for possibly another chapter before diverting and even then, there will be diverted events. Things that would make more sense included or left out. More suspicion and hints before things truly get moving. And it won't quite end the exact same way, but I won't spoil it. Let's just say after a certain point it will be like they are entirely different stories. ;)

* * *

Oz took one last steeling breath, a jester's smile fixed faintly upon his lips as his hand curled around the knob. He had spared a few minutes to wipe the dried tears tracks with fresh water in the heated basin at his bedside. From there he had fetched the clothes placed folded on the dresser and did what needed to be done to be presentable. But the time it took seemed almost too fast for his taste, hastening his journey from the room and into the act that the blonde had no choice but be apart of. The truth would simply hurt them far too much.

He was drawn from his thoughts as the golden knob appeared to decide his current pace wasn't fast enough and jerked itself around in his grip. Before Oz could so much as release his grip, the door was opened violently, pulling him along to stumble forward with it. In its wake it left him quite literally face to face with the one person he didn't wish to see so early on. Alice.

"A-ah, A-Alice?" the blonde gaped in response as he stepped back to allot more room between the two. His clear emerald eyes were widened, a reaction completely honest.

"Oz," Her violet eyes narrowed in response, sending the smallest of shivers up his spine. He ear burned in pain just thinking about what happened the last time she gave him that look.

"Did that man finally leave you alone?" Leave it to Alice to ask the one question Oz didn't want to answer. As soon as she began to ask, her sharp eyes suddenly began to waver as she slammed herself into him letting the tail end of her words muffle into Oz's shirt.

"You mean Jack?" His inquiry was met with another trail of snot being rubbed into the white cloth. "Y-yeah… he is gone,"

As Oz's stumbled response left his lips, Alice threw him away so fast he'd swear she almost gave him whiplash. That is if the wall didn't catch him, letting the back of his skull crack against the solid surface with a loud thu-unk.

"Good! It seems he has finally learned that you are my manservant!"

"Well of course. You are a pretty convincing person after all," Oz replied with a soft moan in his words, one hand rubbing at the newly formed knot on the back of his head and the other tugging his shirt back into place.

Staring up at Alice through his pale lashes, he allowed himself a moment's pause to sort through the thoughts that rose unbidden. He couldn't help but wonder just how long would he be able to keep this up? Would this lie let him have just a bit more peace? Or would it simply be delaying the inevitable?

Even more important was the issue of them seeing through him. Would they notice something was wrong? Notice that he was not their Oz who was, as far as they were concerned, the real one? And how would they react to such a thing? Would they hate him?

The blonde couldn't suppress the cynical chuckle that escaped at the thought. The expressions they would make, the betrayal and hurt, the horror that would shine through the eyes of his friends. And there was nothing he could do to stop it. It may not come out right now, but it would eventually. After the truth was inescapable. And the pain that Oz would no doubt suffer when the truth came free was inevitable. It was likely that was the real reason Jack had chosen to wait before claiming the body. After all, a broken man fights far less than a whole one.

"Oz, are you okay?" Alice's voice broke through his thoughts with the ease of a hammer, drawing his attention to her.

"Mmmm... Yeah. I'm fine,"

"I only caught the tail end of your conversation with Jack. Did he do anything bad to you? Erm, not that I am concerned or anything. It would just be a big inconvenience if something happened to my contract partner,"

The brunette tossed her head back in a haughty gesture, her attempt to hide the faint rose tone of her cheeks bringing a tiny, honest smile to Oz's lips. He always did love this part of her. Violet eyes slid across his face, his expression, bringing a fierce pout to her lips and a violent swing of her hips.

"Oi Oz! Get your head out of the clouds! If you don't we will miss breakfast!" she barked as one of Alice's legs moved to sweep him off his feet. It was almost sad how easy it was for her to send him sprawling on his back.

No sooner than Alice had satisfied herself with a well-place step to his chest was she spinning on her heel and launching down the hall, all the while mumbling about how there better be meat there.

By the time Oz had managed to right himself Alice was already at the end of the hall and showing no signs of stopping to wait for him. She was like that with everything. Charging ahead with her head held high, no matter the circumstances. Some called it reckless, but he saw it for what it really was. Bravery. A bravery that let her face down odds that were in no way her favor and still keep strong. A bravery that allowed her to do whatever it took to keep that which she loved safe no matter the consequences. A bravery that Oz couldn't help but be envious of.

The teenage boy shook his head smiling. It didn't do him well to stand here debating such things. He'd have all the time in the world to think and contemplate later. For now, Oz should save his energy and focus on the time he had right now. All too soon the events set in motion would catch up with him once more. When they did, surely things would no longer be as they once were.

With a new found resolve, the cursed child ran after his best friend calling out with a laugh, "Alice wait for me!"

.BBR||RBB.

Oz poked at his eggs with his fork, emerald eyes sweeping over the other people at the table. Alice was on his left eating sausage with gusto, while Gil sat off to his right munching on the end of a wooden toothpick to try and ease the desire for a morning smoke. Across from him Sharon was lounged peacefully, a cup of tea at one elbow and Break at the other. Said clown was contenting himself with mangling his cake into a mushy mess of confection.

All the while silence ruled over the group, eat person off in their own little world or, in Oz, Alice, and Sharon's case, simply enjoying their breakfast. Oz though was quickly losing his patience with the quiet though, the silence suffocating him and leaving him uneasy. Attempts were made to break it, usually in the way of a comment to one of his companions, but each attempt failed miserably as they all lapsed back into silence.

Gil was the main culprit, responding to each of Oz's attempts at conversation with a muted grumbled response or simply ignoring the blonde's attempt at chatter. Break was a little better, but only until he seemingly realized Oz's discomfort at the quiet and decided it would be amusing to leave the small teen to deal with it on his own. Sharon herself, for all her grace, was secretly hiding her problem with mornings behind her polite tea-time facade.

Alice, sweet Alice, was too busy introducing meat to her gut to make polite morning conversation, making the only sound beyond the occasional clank of silverware the sound of her loudly devouring her food. Oz was one part disgusted, two parts grateful for the noise. In watching her rapidly diminishing food and the way her eyes began to cast out for another source, he came up with an idea.

"Hey Gil are you going to eat that?"

Gil's head bobbed slightly as if startled before he looked up at the blonde slowly, his golden gaze measured but with a far away quality to it. It was almost as if he had previously been looking for the answers to life in the distance and what the raven-haired man saw there he was so profound that he struggling to tear his eyes away from it.

"No," It was spoken almost like a question, Gil's expression reflecting his confusion until his attention fell upon where Oz was pointing. Even then it took a few more heartbeat for the adult to realized what was being asked of him and even longer for him to respond in kind with a mumbled, "Why do you want it?"

"Not exactly. I only wanted the meat to give to Alice. She keeps sneaking glances at it and, knowing you, even if she asked for it nicely you would probably say no,"

Gil's expression turned from that of a sad and lost puppy into a hot-tempered scowl in a span of a second.

"What? You make it sound like I'm a heartless jerk that would go out of my way to be cold to that Stupid Rabbit!" The words left the man's mouth in a growl, his features bright and alert for the first time that morning.

"I am just saying that you probably wouldn't give it to her if she asked you directly. You can interpret it however you like," Oz grinned mischievously back.

"Roi wrah-cha mwan 'Shrupih Wrabbid' Wrea-wreed Rehd!?*"

"I called you Stupid Rabbit, cause you are one Stupid Rabbit. And don't talk with your mouth full!"

"R-I ran droo wraheveh r-I wran!*"

"Knock it off and swallow your food before you speak!"

"Roar rush realoush r-I ran prull rih roff!*"

The two continued to bicker back and forth, Alice pausing only to stuff her face when the food stop doing its charms. Meanwhile Gil was getting redder by the minute, his golden eyes blazing with a life that Oz couldn't help but be relieved by. He seemed to be so broken, like a puppet whose strings had long snapped. As much as a broken Gil would, in hindsight, make what was to come easier, the young blond couldn't suppress the selfish, human part of him that wanted to prevent Gil from hating him.

At least until Gil had a true reason to hate him. It was the same fragile piece of him that couldn't help but continue to revel in this feeling of peace while it last. To simply sit back and indulge in the bliss that was these precious tiny interactions that reminded him he wasn't completely inhuman.

A weight settled against his back, startling Oz from his thoughts, a place he was getting lost in far too easily. A single flash of white from the corner of his eye was all he needed to identify the weight, well visually at any rate. For no sooner was the observation made was the clown speaking.

"What's got you so lost in thought, Oz-boy?"

That honey sweet voice that hid a sly darkness so twisted it was almost sad. Break was finally getting involved with his usual mealtime harassment. Joy.

"Just enjoying the company," An easy smile accompanied the response.

"Are you sure it's just that? Not dwelling on what a certain spirit said?" Break countered with ease.

"Even if I was, I'm not sure that is any of your business," Oz shut down the conversation.

Break pushed off his back with a sigh, the only sign that the response had bothered him. But behind that blind red eye there was a spark of interest. A dangerous look indeed, one that promised that wouldn't be the end of it. And how true that warning was. Indeed Break was a very dangerous advisary. Once set on learning something he would push and pursue with everything until his curiosity was satisfied. Even then, there was always further ramifications to be seen.

"Oh well, I guess I will have to give you something to occupy your time. Having so much on your mind isn't healthy. How about I hand you another puzzle instead?" the white haired man recovered with ease putting on a flippant expression. But his smile was another story, a sinister one promising pain. Promising work.

Oz wasted no time jumping up and snagging the hand of a still-eating Alice. The shiver down his spine meant whatever Break was to suggest wouldn't bode well for him and, as distracted as he was, his instincts were still top notch. And they were screaming to escape or suffer. So that's what he did, calling out a hurried "See ya later," as he darted out of the dining hall.

As the door swung shut behind him, all parties turned serious.

"So Raven-dear, did you learn anything you would like to share with the class?" Break started the conversation with ease, no care for the suffocating aura now filling the room. He had questions and he wanted answers, answers he likely wasn't going to get from Oz.

Gil, for his part, became increasingly still, his head tilted down but eyes remaining locked on the clown. Smoldering gold met cool red in a staring match that should be possible with one of the party being blind.

A few minutes ticked on past.

"I'm not sure what to make of any of this," Gil finally spoke, his words coming out in one long sighing exhale before he continued with a more measured tone, "If all this is really true and not just something winding us all up.. Then this is one hell of a conspiracy. I don't completely remember everything, but from what I do, it looks like the so called 'Hero' started the entire thing and the entire reason Glen dropped Sablier into the Abyss was damage control. Hell the massacre itself was probably to prevent the people from undergoing the pain of being warped into Chains,"

"So then what do you suggest we do? We could quite easily solve everything if we simply were to kill Oz,"

"That may be true… b-but Oz isn't at fault! It's Jack's fault! We would be no better than him if we killed an innocent person to achieve our goals!" Gil objected, his previous depression lost.

His passionate display only succeeded in increasing the clownish grin playing on Break's lips.

"If you truly feel that way, then why are you avoiding the 'innocent party'?"

That single pointed question was all that was needed for all the fire to flow from Gil, leaving behind a man so broken the white haired swordsman almost pitied him.

"I-I know that… I do… I know logically I should have no problem with Oz… but I can't help the anger and betrayal that flow through me whenever I see him… When I see that face that looks so much like Jack's…"

Sharon chose then to finally speak.

"Well, Lord Gilbert, you have two choices. You must decide whether you will blame Lord Oz or not. There can't be an in between. It wouldn't be fair to either of you," A small reassuring smile played on her lips, soon covered as she once more drew up her teacup to sip.

It was all Gil could manage to nod weakly at her statement. The blaring truth in it was more than he could actively respond to.

"So I suppose our best action is to do nothing,"

* * *

Alice Food Speak Translation

*Hey whatcha mean 'Stupid Rabbit', Seaweed head!?

*I do whatever I want!

*You're just jealous I can pull it off!

* * *

/AUTHOR'S NOTE/

I'm so so so so so so soooo sorry this took so long for me to update! I have no excuses! The almost finished chapter was practically sitting and waiting on my laptop for months for me to do some final tweaks for putting it out! I promise I won't be such a ditz in the future! .

On another note, since people keep asking I shall say it here as well...

 **While this is a rewrite there will be a lot of events and pieces that will differ from the original! The only true link to the original will be the basis of some of the ideas! After a certain point it will practically be an entire different story with a whole new set of events and plot elements! So please keep this in mind before asking me to make it different from the original!**

Anyway I will try to get started on the next bit, so until next time, see ya!


	4. I Stand Still

/REVIEW REPLY/

[Sorry I forgot to reply to you last chapter! I misread the time your comments occurred and thought I responded to them already when I did the comment reply so I will reply to them here!]

 **MasterExpose:** I plan on hitting on everyone's feelings a lot more. And as you will see below, I am even including the feelings of some of the characters I neglected in the original. Such as one that I grew to fall in love with as a re-read the story and don't see enough of in stories unless it is shipping him with Elliot.. *cough* Leo *cough*. He's own thoughts and responses to things will divert from Jun's original mwuhaha breakdown. And there may be a few necessary OC's in the way of past Glen's and unnamed Baskervilles. But they won't be particularly story-changing important.

 **Gamma Cavy:** Yeah I was re-reading it and the sheer amount of cringing and inability to stomach my own writing inspired this. I remember when I first wrote it, how proud I was of my writing and how great I thought I was doing with it. Looking back, I can't help but want to pat my past self on the head and call her cute and naively proud. Now I just see half formed ideas that were going somewhere but ultimately neglected. And as I offered below, you can even play a nice little game of spot the similarities. There may even be a super secret reward for the one who spots the most... *wink wink*

* * *

The piano had long become dull. It's notes no longer sparked life in the short individual playing. All it succeeded in doing was leaving a sour taste upon his tongue. Yet even so, he couldn't stop himself from playing the same tune over and over again, one right after the other. As if refusing to end it would someone reverse time, and prevent the death of the composer.

Around him books were scattered, paged torn free. Anything that upset him, any death, was simply cast out of the story with frantic hands. What was left behind in the binding was a broken, but pleasant story. An impossible story. After all life is rarely without its horrors and this life quite prefer darkness over light.

Leaning against the bench next to him was Elliot's sword, kept sharp and cleaned of his blood. The familiar leather grip was comforting and warm as he learned to use it at the instruction of his soul's memories. Once upon a time he was more likely to slice off his own foot than to hit another. Now he could slice and parry with ease.

Just another change. Another different from the Leo 'then' and the Leo 'now'. The Leo 'now' just barely hung onto what was left of his sanity and even then it could hardly constitute as truly hanging on. He was simply biding his time, playing a role until he was eventually knocked from the stage by Glen. Then he would no longer be truly Leo, not after the final seal was broken, a seal that some of his… 'family' was searching for.

That was another thing he couldn't quite wrap his head around if he truly tried. The people who had tried to kill him before, an orphan under the employment of the Nightray who was allied with Oz, were now loyal servants, looking up to him as the head of the house. Even crazy, he was no fool. They weren't following Leo, weren't accepting Leo. The only reason he held any sway was because of who he was to become. Because he was to be Glen.

A more vindictive side of him laughed cynically at it all, while a quieter side whispered in his ear that he always was Glen. He just didn't accept being Glen like he accepted being Leo. At least not until recently. Not until Leo lost it all. And even then, not completely. Not yet. Not until Glen was fully unsealed, fully there would he at last be able to stop being Leo and in turn be completely Glen.

*All the while Leo plotted and despaired inside himself, Vincent sat back quietly, listening to the near constant hum of Statique as it clamored throughout the manner. Around him, the various faces of Baskervilles displayed different expressions. Some were of pity, others of disgust. Lottie's showed the former, but with a touch of confliction. As if she pitied the young man, wanted to wrap him in her arms and apologize, but in the same instance wanted to tell him to man up and become Glen already so they could finish things once and for all. Doug shared her thoughts if what was seen of his facial expression meant anything.

The Baskervilles were an interesting bunch, having already lost so much yet clinging to the hope that their master would simply come to and take over. While Vincent himself wasn't quite as familiar with Glen, even he knew it didn't necessarily work like that. Simply because Leo was Glen, didn't necessarily mean he would stop being Leo all together.

But at the same time there was something else entirely to consider. That Leo didn't even want to be Leo anymore. Not without Elliot. Not when his existence caused the death of his best friend.

It was quite an interesting situation. Yet so long as Leo fulfilled his side of the agreement, none of it would matter anymore. Vincent would no longer exist, his role would be over. Until then, he would simply just have to bear with everything. He would work with Leo. Be by his side.

Once more Statique approached it's end. And once more Leo prepared to move into another loop of it. Or so it seemed. One moment notes flew through the air, haunting vibrations. Then all at once they were cut off with a cacophony of noise as the teen slammed his hands down on the keys all at once.

Everyone flinched as Leo shoved himself free from the bench. Dark eyes, dark as night roamed over all present. But the reflections in them, the millions of tiny lights glowing like embers, betrayed what he was actually watching.

"Neh, should we go ahead and make a move?" He asked to no one particular, his tone not quite matching the darkness of the faint smile present. _It's a pity he lost it. I was quite fond of him. He was always fair company to Elliot and even to my brother at times._

Vincent couldn't help the grin that manifested after the thought. After all, while a pity it was, the insanity that allowed Glen to surface served his needs quite nicely. While it wasn't the best way to carry on the memory of the dead, it suited the situation. No one had time to mourn or play nice. Not with what was inevitably to come. And the ability to do what needed to be done without playing a role was undeniably refreshing.

Meanwhile the young Glen seems to be listening to something, his head tilted gently to the side and his focus beyond anyone in the room. The Baskervilles present all watched him with bated breath as he debated mentally with something before finally nodding and turning his attention to all present.

His entire air seemed to change as he straightened out, authority clinging to the boy who was once a servant.

"The lie is starting to unravel. It is only a matter of time before the implications of the truth are fully understood and Pandora turns against their 'Hero'. When that happens we will be able to strike with ease and leave him nowhere to run to," Leo spoke clearly, commanding much like Glen would be expected to. His appearance said Leo, but his words spoke of someone all together.

All around them various Baskervilles agreed, though a few still looked at Leo with worry and uncertainty. No matter what, though, the plan was set. Vincent would follow orders, just like all the rest. Anything that came next, well that wasn't his problem.

All in all, though, things were shaping up to have a rather interesting end.

.BBR||RBB.

The roar of the fire was captivating. Oz watched it dance merrily from his seat near the fireplace, the crimson tongues devouring the logs with little care. It was brutal yet also quite beautiful in its sheer destruction. At his side Alice continued to slumber as he pondered the merits of such a uncomplicated, thorough, thing.

He too, when using his power, could leave nothing behind but ash and dust. Yet it lacked the same simple finesse of flame, the lack of complication. Fire wasn't criticized for the damage it wrought. It was simply understood as that was it's purpose. To give light and heat at the expense of what it ate. Even the ashes from what it took could give life to plants that would later grow in the scattered remains.

Oz's destruction wasn't so clean cut. What he took was certain, but what he gave? That was a mystery. A question he couldn't seem to find the answer to. A small voice in the back of his head whispered " _Nothing"_ in response but that couldn't quite be it either.

A door open and shut with a muffled thump, allowing entry to a familiar figure. The figure bore a poker, turning over the coals and tending to the room in a way that was more than simple consideration.

It was the actions of a man who was intending to stay for a while and wanted to make sure to maintain his comfort.

"You are far too young to be unable to sleep at night," the albino finally broke the silence, regarding Oz with an expression far different from his usual childish smile. Oz simply blinked in response before turning to look upon Alice, running his fingers through her silky hair.

"I suppose you could say that,"

"Assumptions and suppositions are the words of indecision and carelessness,"

The blond snorted softly in amusement at that statement.

"Isn't that your thing, Break?" Oz pointed out, attempting to go for teasing despite the seriousness of the conversation. There was the possibility, however slight, that he could defuse the situation with enough wit.

Break chortled softly at that and twisted to fully face Oz, his nose hovering inches in front of the small teen's own, "That I may be but I know exactly what my goal is. I am not sure if you can quite say the same."

Cold fingers trapped Oz's cheeks, preventing him from looking away as Break continued to stare him down with that endless unseeing crimson eye of his. Any attempt to pull away was quickly proven futile and his protest was cut off neatly as Break continued to speak.

"Tell me Oz-boy, do you know where you are? Because I can see you all the more clearly. And what I see isn't quite you, now is it?"

"I don't know what you are talking about Break. I am very much me," Oz finally managed to choke out through the growing lump in his throat. He wouldn't do well to be found out so early. It was his every intention to enjoy this interlude of peace before the true chaos would begin. And here Break was standing to ruining everything. It just wasn't fair.

Break seemed to sense his sentiments, for the pale hand withdrew from Oz's face and disappeared back into his sleeve. A look far more sane and deep came to light.

"Sometimes the truth is better hidden, but it has a way of coming out one way or another. Whatever you are hiding, I hope you are prepared to handle the consequences when it inevitably gets discovered,"

"Inevitable is as fickle as absolute,"

"So it be," Break smiled honestly, "Whatever happens Oz-boy, you would do best to make sure your accomplishments far outweigh your regrets,"

The weight of the clown's words shook Oz in a way no accusation could. The honesty of the advice, as if the man himself could see straight through him, see that despite all the planning and attempts at malicious plotting Oz himself didn't actually want to participate in what was to come. He didn't want to do any of it. He didn't want to help Jack, he didn't want to take B. Rabbit's power, his power, from Alice.

From this simple sentiment of a madman, a maelstrom of emotions rose from the careful barrier he had erected to keep them at bay. It was all he could do to hide the sudden rising turmoil with a mischeivious smile. To close his eyes so they wouldn't reflect the truth, and put up a childishly happy facade.

"You're being particularly insightful tonight Break. What's the occasion?" The clever remark felt like ash and lies as it dripped off his tongue. No sooner did it leave Oz's lips was Break chuckling deeply, and almost in satisfaction, at the unheard fluster.

"I'm in, what you call, a helpful mood," The madman through up his own guard, laughing like a lunatic in on some kind of secret inside joke. _The conversation must have made him uncomfortable too._ Came the unbidden thought as Oz watched Break begin to retreat in that carelessly childish way of his.

Behind the smile Break's mind was surely working over time, rationalizing what he said and matching up Oz's reactions with known triggers and information. All at the same time trying to spell out what all of this meant to the current events and likely upcoming problems.

Oz himself was also thinking deeply about the implications of it all. The floodgates had been open and resurfacing now were all kinds of doubts, desires of rebellion. In the back of his mind that seductive voice whispered of his lack of choice. Of the ease of giving in. And it gently, fugitively, lulled him back into the prior complacence he had demonstrated.

*For behind Oz, Jack was pulling the strings. Where Oz had but fledgling goals, Jack had a full out plan. Glen was waking up and was planning on destroying everything he had ever worked to. Was likely going to try and completely take Lacie away from him. And Jack was running out of time. This was the last cycle his soul would survive. He needed to make it count.

Any kindness, any plans of gracefully fading away went out the window. Not with the prospect of Glen changing everything. Then she would no longer exist, she would truly die erased once his memories of her has departed.

The Abyss she spoke of, the land of a million lights, had died. So he would bring back it's light for her, even if he had to use this world's own. This he solemnly swore.

Until that time, Jack would have to repress Oz's will. He would have to break and destroy the heart of the Chain he helped foster humanity in. He would have to undo his own generosity. For her. For his dear sweet Lacie. He would destroy anyone who got in his way.

Oz was just collateral damage. And in the back of his mind surely Oz was aware of that. But, for a fragment, Jack was powerful and skilled in the ways of manipulation. It took little effort for him to play with the boy, who was just as world wise as his age would suggest. Even with B. Rabbit's memories, Oz's experience was little more than a child in the face of Jack's own.

So as Oz gently pulled Alice up into his arms and carry her into bed, any confliction was to once again be banished with harsh, self loathing truth. After all, as human as he was, compared to Jack's own, his desires meant nothing. He was but a chain, but a tool. A tool, like a blade. Yes that's what he was. A stepping stone to fulfill Lacie's wish. Lacie Lacie… she would stop haunting him with her memory once she was happy. Right? Right right right?

Oh Jack just wanted peace. Wanted peace from her. He hated the memories she brought. Peace and silence. He wanted the silence of himself. But who was he? He didn't know, didn't know, didn't know. And it was all her fault.

 _Lacie… Lacie… Lacie… I hated that I loved you… my dear… sweet… cruel Lacie..._

* * *

Obscure POV Changes Clarification

*From Leo to Vincent

*From Oz to Jack

* * *

/AUTHOR'S NOTE/

I decided to be nice since I took so very very long releasing the last chapter to go ahead and write and release the next chapter today. Think of it as a peace offering. A gift for your patience.

I doubt I'll get another chapter written tonight, I am not THAT fast, but I'll try to make sure the next one gets written faster. If you pay attention you can see a touch of the events from one of the original chapters. If you want to play a little game, try to guess which part I took directly from the original. You don't have to, but if you want to think of it as a little scavenger hunt. ^^

And remember to review, I take joy out of your reviews and will reply to any I get above!

Anyway until next... Auri out!


	5. Prelude

_Why? Why Master? Why did he do it? Why did he betray us? Why did he betray you?_ No matter how hard Gil attempted to block out these thoughts, they continued to come through in a voice not unlike his past self. The distraught mutterings of an anguish filled child that refused to remain buried now that the door blocking them out had been unlocked and cracked open.

Among the more innocent fear and lack of understanding was something else. Something darker. And this darker thing would whisper sweet nothings in his ear, urging him to attack, to take down the man behind it all before he had a chance to do anything. Each time Gil sat before Oz, the voice would be there, speaking of Jack being in there and how keeping Oz alive and safe was not worth the risk of what was inside him.

This side warred near continuously with Gil. Gil who wished to protect the boy who took him in so eagerly, who was by his side and treated him like more of a friend than a servant. The boy, so small and fragile, whose life was hanging by a thread, that still found it in himself to promise to protect Gil. Gil who was older and stronger but still very much that young child who doted on the sunlike kid deep inside.

But was the boy in front of him, the boy he brought back from the Abyss, really Oz? Or was it Jack, masquerading as the young boy he loved?

* * *

/AUTHOR'S NOTE/

I am not usually reply hungry or anything like that, but still... I like to get replies and see how people see my work and whether or not they like it. While it may seem a little vindictive to only post this little bit of the next chapter, I have my reasons. For example, I have most of the next chapter plotted out and waiting to be finished off, polished a bit, and uploaded. I was waiting to see if anyone would show interest in this, and actually urge me to continue, whether or not they liked the changes or hated them, ect.

Yes I know, write for yourself if no one else Auri. But I don't need to write this for myself if I know what is going to happen and already have it plotted out. I mean it is satisfying, but half the satisfaction comes from seeing other people enjoy it.

So I was content to sit back and wait for the one or two replies that usually come, either of blatant excitement, criticism, or simply pointing out an error I missed when proofreading since I don't have a beta. I got none of those. Four months later, there is still no new comments. So naturally, I-who don't place comment limits on my work before I type it up but still encourage and make sure to reply to all comments above-am a little disappointed that so many months have gone by without a single comment.

Therefore it is with a heavy heart that I find myself at last putting my foot down and hanging my head, only putting up a piece, a sliver. Maybe some will hold interest, maybe everyone has lost interest. But nonetheless, I need to know the degree of it. With more spare time, I need to see if this is worth the effort of trying to upholding a stricter updating schedule or if it should just be left on the back burner to be replaced by other projects.

I'm sorry for the rant, but just stop and humor me this. I am not a fast writer by any means. I don't just type this up in an hour and call it done. One chapter can take me anywhere from 3 to 5 hours to even be near ready to be posted. Sometimes I can get one done in 2, but that is if I have most of the plot already typed up and am just going back and buffing the bare bones up. While the third chapter was half done, the fourth I wrote from scratch after sending off the third.

I managed to get the fourth done in just 3 and a half hours after working on the third on and off for roughly 5 hours. I was excited to get it out so quickly for my fans. But as days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, I got disappointed and my muse dwindled. After working so hard to release content, no one can spare me the three minutes to simply say if it was good or not.

So, while I am sorry if this is a let down to those expecting new chapters, I think it is only fair that I got to share some of my thoughts and expectations. After all, for those who have commented in this past, it was your comments that inspired me even more to explore different directions, to challenge me to engage more emotionally. Without that, it becomes lifeless and with no direction or control. As readers of something so interactive as fanfiction, something that lets you see a side of a story you never did or change it in ways you imagined but wasn't found in the confines of the pages, you will lose your tether, your ability to inquire and demand to an author who will try her best to at least consider including things you want.

I write for myself as much as you. And until the "you" aspect returns, I am sorry, but I can't write this any longer. Until I see whether people are invest in me and my work, and care enough to participate in this adventure, this is all you will be able to get out of me. And for those new people who find this story only to be disappointed by this road block, I am sorry.

~Sincerely, Aureux


End file.
